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This post is inspired by the #PitchWars mentors, who have said time and again that this contest is about community. Finding friends, CPs, commiserators, etc. And it occurred to me, “Why am I not talking DIRECTLY to the other wannabe mentees? We’re hopping to each other’s blogs, we want to get to know each other!”

So, this is me talking to you, my brothers and sisters in arms. This is about what I’m like as a critique partner and what I’m looking for in a partner. Please do not be shy about reaching out! I’m the shy one here. There can’t be two of us. (Actually, another shy introvert would be awesome.)

What I Write

Fiction about women, usually strong ones. That’s always my starting point. Lately I’ve been focused on contemporary YA, but my next WIP is NA paranormal romance. (I know, I know, poor market. Too bad. It’s in my brain.) I’ve got some fantasy and historical sitting on my hard drive that I want to get back to. Here are the pitches for three WIPs to whet your appetite.

In UNCHURCHED (PitchWars submission 2015), agnostic, feminist Janine is taken aback when her father joins an evangelical church. He’s delighted to help put on a purity ball, but Janine is horrified by the idea of making a vow of chastity in public. Taking the vow would be a lie and she’ll hate herself forever, but standing up to her dad will break his heart.

Based on the ballet of the same name, GISELLE follows a young woman with epilepsy who begins to see and hear strange messages from beyond the grave. These voices warn her away from Ali, the boy she’s been crushing on since high school. When he betrays her, Giselle is sucked into a world where disloyalty has deadly consequences.

In THE SILK THAT CUTS, a harem overthrows an empire. Twice.

What I Read

Almost everything? I’ve never been into horror, sorry. And I don’t read much middle grade, but I do read a lot of YA and adult. I love fantasy and historical, and really enjoy science fiction and diverse contemporary. (Please share your diverse stuff. It needs to be seen.) I’m a politics junkie, and love tackling controversial issues from religion to international relations (I skew progressive but I’m open to reading about more than that–if you’re doing it right, I’ll love your characters anyway). I love funny stuff. I love irreverence. I love being surprised by twists and turns. I don’t shy away from hard stuff that may trigger others, but I don’t delve into really dark things very often. I do like sexy times, so erotica is totally ok.

Some faves:

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

The Heartland Trilogy by Chuck Wendig

The Black Dagger Brotherhood books by JR Ward

The Temeraire books by Naomi Novik

The Confessions of Georgia Nicholson by Louise Rennison

Various books by Tamora Pierce

How I Critique

I like to comment as I do my first read, catching typos (I can’t help it, they stand out and I just can’t leave them) and giving first reactions. I tend to ask questions rather than make suggestions. I trust you to know what you intended, and I’m just here to confirm that the way you depicted it worked or not. I’m a member of Scribophile and I can give you the link to check out my review work there.

I’ve been likened to movie slashers because I can turn a page red. I’ve also been told that I have a great combo of encouraging and relevant comments. I bring my sense of humor to the table, so if you use the same word four times I may tease you a little because I’m genuinely and affectionately amused. You will get squeals and gushing over things I love. I’m happy to reread portions or the whole thing.

If you’re looking for diversity research, I can help you out with: atheism, depression, and immigration.

My best communication methods are text-based (email, instant messaging) but I’ll suck it up and talk on the phone or meet in person, too.

What I’m Looking For in a Partner

Please, please, please hack and slash my stuff to bits. For years I’ve been plagued by comments that just kind of say it’s good but not why or how or what’s slipping or augh. Vagueness. Get in there and get messy, please. Demand high standards. Ask a million questions.

I love brainstorming. My best friend and I are constantly poking and prodding each other’s worlds to expand them. Again, I ask a lot of questions, and I love getting them back.

I can’t keep, say, a weekly schedule. Too much pressure. I’m happy to swap a chapter at a time, or a whole book. I don’t mind sharing as soon as a chunk is drafted to get a first read. Tell me how polished it is and I’ll read accordingly.

Reach Out

Send me an email! I would lovelovelove to hear from you, especially if something in this profile sparked for you. There’s no such thing as too many eyes.

A few weeks ago I stumbled across the blog of Derek Murphy, a book cover artist. He was running a special promotion in honor of NaNoWriMo. 30 Covers in one day. Now that’s a challenge! He was soliciting novels so I … Continue reading →

I have, technically, finished my first draft. It runs all the way from the beginning to the end, minus some [square bracketed] missing scenes. The story still known as Statutory State (because I have yet to come up with something better) stands at about 72k. That leaves plenty of room for adding in those missing scenes.

What got me to this point? Sheer doggedness and NaNoWriMo. I got about halfway through by the end of October and spent the first 16 days of November still on Stat.

But now what do I do? It’s over. I skipped those other scenes for good reason–they were taking too long to write. Many of them require research. They must be crafted with thought and care. This is not the NaNo way.

So instead I’m diving into another novel in the Cranbrook universe: Rewind. This book takes place a few years before Stat, when the kids are in eighth grade. Rashid Khan and Aditi Hariharan are the primary focus, and I’m writing Khan’s sections. Vijay will write Adi (and he’s champing at the bit to get started, but he has another project to finish first).

I’m enjoying writing from Khan’s POV, and about his crazy, wonderful family. It’s a nice two week vacation from The Big That Took Forever, a.k.a. Stat.

In December I’ll return to Stat. The process will begin with a complete read-through and note-taking. Then I’ll start doing surgery. It’s going to be a lot of work. All that preparation and I’m still making major decisions about what to include and what to leave out.